Worker Solidarity Network

Workshop 3: Navigating Mental Health During Climate Crises
2023-10-08 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Vancouver)
Have you experienced climate anxiety? How has this impacted your workday? As temperatures rise, workers do, too!
We are hosting a four-part workshop series to connect with workers, hear from community organizers, and promote our climate and labour justice digital toolkit. These workshops are open to anyone interested in joining to learn more about our campaign, share stories, and ask questions about your rights at work!
Our third session, Navigating Mental Health During Climate Crises: Surviving and Thriving in Community will underscore the reality of amplified mental health concerns during extreme weather and share some relevant findings from our climate and labour project on this topic.
In this third session, we will hear from mental health professionals who will walk us through how climate anxiety presents itself and how we can cope individually and look out for one another as collective during rapidly changing climate.
If interested, please check out our digital toolkit which includes some basic information that will be covered in our workshop series.

Documentary Screening: Bridging the Divide, A Night With the Workers Solidarity Network
2023-10-05 17:00 - 19:00
Bridging the Divide, A Night With the Workers Solidarity Network
Join WSN in an evening of discussion as we dive deep into trying to understand the fractures in our movement and in our party, and the role that corporate divide and conquer strategies have played in creating toxic divisions in our province. We will begin with a short documentary of the fight that birthed not only some of these fractures but also our very committee, the Standing Committee on Environment and Economy. We will discuss the ways corporations pit people against each other when our common plight is exploitation by the capitalist class. And then we’ll discuss some of the exciting bridges that are being built in progressive spaces today as we fight for climate justice, with the understanding that climate justice is worker justice and vice versa.
The corporate class would rather us fight each other, but we understand more than ever who is burning down our world and we’re determined to unite in the fight for a better world.

Workshop 1: Exploring How Heat, Wildfires, and Floods Impact Workers
2023-10-04 18:00 - 19:30
Interested in understanding how climate justice and worker justice intersect? Want to organize your workplace but don’t know where to begin? As temperatures rise, workers do, too!
We are hosting a four-part workshop series to connect with workers, hear from community organizers, and promote our climate and labour justice digital toolkit. These workshops are open to anyone interested in joining to learn more about our campaign, share stories, and ask questions about your rights at work!
Our first session, Exploring How Extreme Heat, Wildfires, and Floods Impact Workers: How Standing in the Walk-in Freezer is a Workplace Issue is happening just days before World Day for Decent Work. In light of this, we will be discussing how decent work is not just a labour justice issue, it is about addressing various intersections including climate justice.
In this first session, we will hear about how extreme weather impacts workers at work and beyond. Our guest speaker, Izzy Adachi, will speak on these firsthand experiences and make the intersection between climate justice and labour justice, come to light! These are not separate struggles but intertwined injustices.
Together, through informal conversations, we will share experiences of how climate change impacts us and strategize ways to move forward as a collective.
If interested, please check out our digital toolkit which includes some basic information that will be covered in our workshop series.

Organizing 101 Workshop Series: Labour Code Part I
2023-09-06 18:00 - 19:30
SESSION TWO: LABOUR CODE
This workshop will continue your introduction to your rights as a worker in BC and the steps you can take to protect them, as we build towards organizing your workplace. A zoom link will be sent after registration, and all registrants will be notified of the next workshop in our series upon completion of the first one.
Register here!

THE WORKER SOLIDARITY NETWORK AND THE LABOURERS’ INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA PRESENT:
ORGANIZING 101 WORKSHOP SERIES
Are you tired of having your labour taken for granted? Are you interested in unions but don’t know where to begin? Do you want to come together with your coworkers to challenge power and stand up for yourselves? Or do you just want to know how to protect yourself from missing wages, discrimination, and bad bosses?
At this stage in the COVID-19 Pandemic, workers understand better than ever that they deserve better protections and fair treatment. Workers deserve to know how to stand up for their rights. Workers deserve unions.
Join us for our Organizing 101 workshop series to learn how to organize for the rights you deserve.
For the first time ever, the Worker Solidarity Network and the Labourers’ International Union of North America are teaming up to offer a comprehensive and FREE online workshop series covering everything you need to know to stand up for your rights, fight back against employer abuse, and form a union.
Workshops will cover: Understanding the Employment Standards Act, Procedural Fairness 101, Retaliation, the Labour Code, Organizing 101, talking to your coworkers about unions, and more!
Workshops will run once a month online for an hour from June to August, and then bi-monthly online September to November. We will end with a session introducing you to all the major unions in BC to find the union right for you!
Curriculum:
1) Understanding the Employment Standards Act: June 6th
2) Procedural Fairness – Your Rights During a Complaint Process: July 4th
3) What is Retaliation: August 8th
4) Labour Code Part 1: September 6th
5) Labour Code Part 2: September 19th
6) Organizing Part 1: October 3rd
7) Organizing Part 2: October 17th
8) Unions in BC Showcase: November TBA
Sign up to be a member of the Worker Solidarity Network at workersolidarity.ca to stay in touch and find out more!

August 31st Emergency Phonebank
2023-08-31 17:00 - 19:00
Come to an Emergency Phonebank, and prevent unfair changes to the Employment Standards Act
This last year, under the Justice Delayed is Justice Denied campaign, the Worker Solidarity Network has been working towards reforming the Employment Standard Branch to an accessible, accommodating, correct, effective, and fair. This culminated in us successfully campaigning for 12 million dollars in additional funding to the ESB.
Now, we have found out that our government has been looking for feedback on changes that directly oppose what we have been organizing towards this past year under the Justice Delayed is Justice Denied campaign. To that end, we are convening an Emergency Phone Bank to share our collective response to the government, and to ensure they know Justice Delayed is Justice Denied!
Join us for an important, Emergency Phonebank on August 31st, 5:00pm to 7:00pm, to help us prevent workers rights from being rolled back in BC.
Register here!

August 16th Emergency Worker Wednesday
2023-08-16 18:00 - 19:30
Come to an ad-hoc Worker Wednesday, and prevent unfair changes to the Employment Standards Act
Every last Wednesday of the month, workers and community allies gather virtually on zoom to mobilize and organize for worker justice in BC. Worker Wednesday offers a space to find pathways to obtain worker-led demands and to take action for legislative change to ensure workers are protected.
We had paused Worker Wednesday for the summer, with the intention to reconvene in June. But when worker rights are threatened; whether it’s winter or summer, rain or shine, snow or sun, it falls upon us as workers to organize.
This last year, under the Justice Delayed is Justice Denied campaign, the Worker Solidarity Network has been working towards reforming the Employment Standard Branch to an accessible, accommodating, correct, effective, and fair. This culminated in us successfully campaigning for 12 million dollars in additional funding to the ESB.
Now, we have found out that our government has been looking for feedback on changes that directly oppose what we have been organizing towards this past year under the Justice Delayed is Justice Denied campaign. To that end, we are convening an Emergency Worker Wednesday to strategize for a collective response.
Join us for an important, Emergency Worker Wednesday on August 16th, 6:00pm to 7:00pm, to help us prevent workers rights from being rolled back in BC.
If you are unable to make it, we encourage you to register regardless, as we will be inviting all participants to join an emergency phone bank on August 31st to respond to the proposed changes.
We encourage everyone to participate in whatever way feels best to them, whether that’s camera on or off, being a listener, or using the chat to share their thoughts.
Register here!

Organizing 101 Workshop Series: Retaliation
2023-08-08 18:00 - 19:30
SESSION TWO: RETALIATION
We’re back with our third instalment of our Organizing 101 Workshop Series. This time: it’s about retaliation, and what you can do about it!
Have you been missing wages or unjust working conditions and been afraid to speak out because of your boss? The fear of retaliation from employers is a major barrier for precarious workers wanting to pursue an Employment Standards Branch complain, unionization, speaking out against awful or illegal conditions, or speaking about their working conditions amongst themselves.
This interactive workshop that includes an example exercise will help workers to identify and protect themselves from retaliation, know what courses of action they may take, and understand what resources there are to support them through retaliation. No prior experience or familiarity is needed in order to attend and benefit from this presentation.
Zoom link will be sent after registration — register here!

Organizing 101 Workshop Series: Procedural Fairness - Your Rights During a Complaint Process
2023-07-04 18:00 - 19:30
SESSION TWO: WHAT IS PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS – YOUR RIGHTS DURING A COMPLAINT PROCESS
Too many workers already experience wage theft, unjust termination, and other violations of the Employment Standards Act. Typically, information about your rights at work, such as minimum wage requirements and overtime, are accessible online such as on the Employment Standards website, or the WSN Know-Your-Rights page.
However, what happens once you decide to assert your rights and participate in an Employment Standards Branch Complaint? Information about your rights during this process is often not as clear, and much harder to come by, especially for complainants with little to no prior experience with these matters
This presentation intends to empower self-represented complainants or prospective complainants, and any workers really, to advocate for themselves effectively and improve the outcome of their complaints. No prior experience or familiarity is needed in order to attend and benefit from this presentation.
Topics covered will include:

What is the role of everyone involved in the complaint process?
What are the obligations of the Employment Standards Branch (ESB) during your complaint process?
What are the limits of the discretion of ESB officers during the investigation process?
What are some possible causes for an appeal of an ESB decision?
Common terms related to your procedural rights, and more.

This workshop will continue your introduction to your rights as a worker in BC and the steps you can take to protect them, as we build towards organizing your workplace. A zoom link will be sent after registration, and all registrants will be notified of the next workshop in our series upon completion of the first one.

THE WORKER SOLIDARITY NETWORK AND THE LABOURERS’ INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA PRESENT:
ORGANIZING 101 WORKSHOP SERIES
Are you tired of having your labour taken for granted? Are you interested in unions but don’t know where to begin? Do you want to come together with your coworkers to challenge power and stand up for yourselves? Or do you just want to know how to protect yourself from missing wages, discrimination, and bad bosses?
At this stage in the COVID-19 Pandemic, workers understand better than ever that they deserve better protections and fair treatment. Workers deserve to know how to stand up for their rights. Workers deserve unions.
Join us for our Organizing 101 workshop series to learn how to organize for the rights you deserve.
For the first time ever, the Worker Solidarity Network and the Labourers’ International Union of North America are teaming up to offer a comprehensive and FREE online workshop series covering everything you need to know to stand up for your rights, fight back against employer abuse, and form a union.
Workshops will cover: Understanding the Employment Standards Act, Procedural Fairness 101, Retaliation, the Labour Code, Organizing 101, talking to your coworkers about unions, and more!
Workshops will run once a month online for an hour from June to August, and then bi-monthly online September to November. We will end with a session introducing you to all the major unions in BC to find the union right for you!
Curriculum:
1) Understanding the Employment Standards Branch: June 6th
2) Procedural Fairness – Your Rights During a Complaint Process: July 4th
3) What is Retaliation: August 1st
4) Labour Code Part 1: September TBA
5) Labour Code Part 2: September TBA
6) Organizing Part 1: October TBA
7) Organizing Part 2: October TBA
8: Organizing Part 3: November TBA
9) Unions in BC Showcase: November TBA
Sign up to be a member of the Worker Solidarity Network at workersolidarity.ca to stay in touch and find out more!

Rally for Climate-Labour Justice!
2023-06-17 12:00 - 14:00 | Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Join the Worker Solidarity Network and allies on June 17, at 12:00pm at the Legislature in Victoria as we launch our Climate-Labour campaign to demand better protections for workers living through the Climate Crisis!

Employment law was not written to anticipate a rise in extreme environmental disasters. There are no laws in place to protect workers’ employment if they do not report to work during an extreme weather event. Moreover, health and safety measures in the workplace are dated, rarely enforced, and ineffective.

Workers need better labour rights protections and enforced health and safety regulations. How the Government of BC decides to safeguard those most vulnerable during extreme weather events will demonstrate the fundamental priorities of this government. Immediate policy changes need to take place to put an end to the experiences workers have endured as a result of changing climate.

As we continue to combat climate change, and work towards climate protection; we need to recognize that the climate crisis is HERE and that urgent protections and mitigation for vulnerable and precarious workers is needed NOW. Stand with countless workers and allies, and send a message that workers are rising against rising temperatures!

Visit workersolidarity.ca/climatelabour to find our Climate-Labour Report, and our list of demands. RSVP here! This event will be outdoors.

#RaiseTheBar

Organizing 101 Workshop Series: Understanding the Employment Standards Act
2023-06-06 18:00 - 19:00
THE WORKER SOLIDARITY NETWORK AND THE LABOURERS’ INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA PRESENT:
ORGANIZING 101 WORKSHOP SERIES
Are you tired of having your labour taken for granted? Are you interested in unions but don’t know where to begin? Do you want to come together with your coworkers to challenge power and stand up for yourselves? Or do you just want to know how to protect yourself from missing wages, discrimination, and bad bosses?
At this stage in the COVID-19 Pandemic, workers understand better than ever that they deserve better protections and fair treatment. Workers deserve to know how to stand up for their rights. Workers deserve unions.
Join us for our Organizing 101 workshop series to learn how to organize for the rights you deserve.
For the first time ever, the Worker Solidarity Network and the Labourers’ International Union of North America are teaming up to offer a comprehensive and FREE online workshop series covering everything you need to know to stand up for your rights, fight back against employer abuse, and form a union.
Workshops will cover: Understanding the Employment Standards Act, Procedural Fairness 101, Retaliation, the Labour Code, Organizing 101, talking to your coworkers about unions, and more!
Workshops will run once a month online for an hour from June to August, and then bi-monthly online September to November. We will end with a session introducing you to all the major unions in BC to find the union right for you!
Register here.
Curriculum:
1) Understanding the Employment Standards Branch: June 6th
2) Procedural Fairness 101: July 4th
3) What is Retaliation: August 1st
4) Labour Code Part 1: September TBA
5) Labour Code Part 2: September TBA
6) Organizing Part 1: October TBA
7) Organizing Part 2: October TBA
8: Organizing Part 3: November TBA
9) Unions in BC Showcase: November TBA
Sign up to be a member of the Worker Solidarity Network at workersolidarity.ca to stay in touch and find out more!

SESSION ONE: UNDERSTANDING THE EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ACT
What is the Employment Standards Act? What is the Employment Standards Branch? What laws and protections are in place for non-unionized workers in BC, and how do you go about navigating violations of the law by your employer? Are you owed wages that you are legally entitled to from your boss? How do you recover missing wages?
Come join workers on June 6th online, at 6pm, to learn about the Employment Standards Act, how to protect your rights as a non-unionized worker, with a focus on wage theft.
Many workplaces are currently facing a staff shortage which means workers are overworked and facing difficult conditions. The lack of enforcement of minimum wage and overtime laws means that workers need to protect themselves and their coworkers from wage theft. Yet, often workers do not demand for wages owed to them because they fear retaliation from their bosses. There are different avenues to justice for wage theft, come to the free training to find out what may work for you.
This workshop will serve as an introduction to your rights as a worker in BC and the steps you can take to protect them. A zoom link will be sent upon registration, and all registrants will be notified of the next workshop in our series upon completion of the first one.

Climate-Labour Outreach at Centennial Square!
2023-05-27 10:00 - 12:00
Victoria-based members: Join us for our Climate-Labour outreach on Saturday, May 27th from 10:00am to 12:00pm at Centennial Square!
We will be petitioning the downtown core to support the Council of Canadians with their Flood Parliament campaign to table just transition legislation; to identify members of the community who are interested in fighting for climate justice; and to build a network to push for the radical change we need.
Join us, meet WSN staff, learn to build power, and connect with folk who are ready to fight for what you care about! We must work together to ensure workers are not left behind!

"Can't Stand The Heat?" Report Presentation
2023-05-11 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
The Worker Solidarity Network is hosting a virtual event to proclaim the upcoming report launch on the results from our first ever Climate and Labour Project.
Join us for a presentation on May 11th at noon PDT to learn about the report titled “Can’t Stand the Heat? Get Out of the Kitchen”, which explores the intersection between labour justice and climate justice. This past year, the Worker Solidarity Network has been engaging with low-wage food service workers with the goal of better understanding how extreme weather events impact standards and conditions at work.
Our presentation will outline the major findings from our climate-labour project which include information about precarious employment, prominent concerns from food service workers, collective worker efforts to mitigate harm, and recommendations necessary to ensure a safer and equitable planet for all.
The event will be facilitated by Pamela, and Jen will provide some key insights and summary of the report. Following that we will have other speakers TBD.
See you soon! Register here

Read our Climate & Labour report here

May Day at Grandview Church!
2023-05-01 15:00 - 21:00 | Grandview Church
Come join us at Grandview Church just off Commercial Drive on May 1 from 3 PM – 9 PM and celebrate International Workers’ Day with your local worker organizations and grassroots collectives.
We’ll have multiple workshops running throughout the day, speakers, music, food and more!
Registration form here.
Social media toolkit here! Find graphics and social media copy you can use to reshare to your own social channels.

Earth Day Rally at Grandview Park
2023-04-22 11:30 - 14:00 | Clark Park
Worker Solidarity Network is supporting Socialist Alternative Youth’s 2023 Earth Day rally! The rally will be on Saturday, April 22nd, Clark Park at 11:30 AM.

Worker Wednesday - March 29
2023-03-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
What is Worker Wednesdays?
Every last Wednesday of the month, workers and community allies gather virtually on zoom to mobilize and organize for worker justice in BC. Worker Wednesdays offers a space to find pathways to obtain worker-led demands and to take action for legislative change to ensure workers are protected.
We encourage everyone to participate in whatever way feels best to them, whether that’s camera on or off, being a listener, or using the chat to share their thoughts.
What happened last Worker Wednesday?

March at WSN is a flurry of events and community building! We launched our WSN community discord, in addition to inviting attendees to the flurry of exciting events we planned for March! This included not one, not two, but THREE International Women’s Day events, our Procedural Fairness Workshop, and more! All events can be found on our website!
Student are workers too! We’ve been working hard to connect the student struggle with labour justice. At past Worker Wednesdays, you heard from CUPE organizers working to unionize student workers at UBC, and the TSSU fighting for livable funding for grad students at SFU! At our February Worker Wednesday, we continued on this theme by inviting Kalli and Jacob with the Stamina of Working Students project at UBC, Kalli and Jacob presented resources they created focusing on the struggle student workers and volunteers face working while completing their degrees.
Climate Justice is Labour Justice! We hosted our Climate-Labour coordinator Jen in sharing reflections on the coming 1 year anniversary of the climate-labour project, and next steps to take. In addition, we hosted Austen Adams – a worker who came to WSN via the climate-labour project, and through deepening involvement, ran for and joined the WSN board! We heard his journey of worker to board member and activist, a journey all WSN members can emulate!
Justice Delayed is Justice Denied! Our February Worker Wednesday happened the week before the BC budget was announced, and such, it was our last push for our Justice Delayed is Justice Denied campaign – since successful in winning 12 MILLION dollars for worker rights in BC! We shared what this campaign has been all about with our new members, debriefed our recent actions, and invited attendees to take part in fighting for worker justice in BC!
A Just Transition is Coming! We hosted Dylan Penner and Deborrah Dunne with the Council of Canadians, to speak on their Canada-wide Just Transition campaign to table Just Transition legislation in parliament! They shared where the campaign is at, next steps, and how to get involved! We know the climate crisis is here, we know a transition is coming, and we are here to ensure it’s one that enshrines the rights of all marginalized people at the heart of it!

If any of these pique your interest, do not hesitate to reach out to us to ask how to get involved! Come to this next Worker Wednesday to hear more of what we have been up to and find out how you can stand with workers across the province and fight for your collective rights!
Join us for Worker Wednesdays on March 29th, at 6pm PST!
Register for Zoom link here

Know Your Rights: Workers' Rights During Extreme Weather Events
2023-03-24 15:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
Join us virtually on March 24th @ 3pm!
Are you curious about your rights at work during extreme weather events?
This is a workshop you won’t want to miss! Register here for the Zoom link.

About:
Join us for a presentation put on by UVic Law Students Annie Cochla and Samantha Chenatte. This is presentation about your rights at work during extreme weather events, intended for workers in BC who are curious to know more or have concerns about their rights in relation to wildfire smoke, heat waves, extreme cold, and common other extreme weather events. Topics discussed include termination and notice rights, employer health and safety obligations and protections against discrimination for workers who may require additional accommodations during extreme weather events.
Presenters:
Samantha Chenatte 2L Student at Uvic
Annie Cochla, 1L Student at Uvic
Supervising Lawyer:
Geoff Mason

Status for All Rally!
2023-03-19 12:00 - 14:00 | CBC Plaza
➡️ Find more details at migrantrights.ca/march18-19
When we say #RegularizeEveryone, we mean:
+ No caps and exclusions
+ Include refugees
+ Permanent status, not temporary permits
+ Humanitarian considerations
+ #StatusForAll so no one else becomes undocumented
VANCOUVER – March 19, 12pm, CBC Plaza
VICTORIA – March 19, 1 PM, MP Randall Garrison office

OUTREACH: Postering in Vancouver
2023-03-18 18:00 - 19:00 | Vancouver
Wanna learn how to wheatpaste and spread the word about workers’ rights? WSN and members will be postering around Olympic Village in Vancouver on Saturday March 18 at 6 PM.
Contact niki@workersolidarity.ca for more details!

IWWD Rally!
2023-03-11 14:00 - 15:00 | Burnaby Civic Square, 6100 Willingdon Ave, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5H 4N5, Canada
IWWD2023 poster w QR

Know Your Rights During an Employment Standards Complaint: What is Procedural Fairness?
2023-03-09 17:00 - 18:30 | Zoom
Have you recently filed a complaint with the Employment Standards Branch?
Join us for this unique opportunity to learn about your rights during a complaint process to recover wages, address termination, retaliation and more. This presentation will be most useful for non-unionized workers in BC who are considering or actively representing themselves in an Employment Standards Complaint, and will be presented by two students as a part of a project with Pro Bono Students Canada. Any workers covered by the BC Employment Standards Act stand to gain valuable information about their rights during the complaint process.
To learn more and RSVP, click here.

International Working Women's Day Fundraiser Panel
2023-03-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join our panel discussion on gender and labour justice and help fund the worker justice movement by donating to our Solidarity Fund.
Click here to RSVP and learn more about the speakers!

Worker's Wednesday Meeting & Social
2019-04-24 17:30 - 20:00, 2019-03-27 17:30 - 20:00, 2019-02-27 17:30 - 20:00 | Fernwood NRG, 1240 Gladstone Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 1G6, Canada
Come join us for our general meeting & social, hosted by the Retail Action Network!
If you have never been to a Worker’s Wednesday meeting before, try to arrive early to get introduced over dinner, and to learn a bit about the Retail Action Network, and how you can get involved!
5:30pm-6:15pm – Community Dinner
Join us for a meal cooked by the Fernwood NRG. There are vegetarian and meat options available and the meal is made from 90% reclaimed foods. RAN will be covering the cost of this by-donation meal for all Worker’s Wednesday attendees.
6:30pm-8:00pm – General Meeting & Social
Working groups and committees report back on what they have been up to in the fight for workplace justice this month, we will talk about upcoming RAN actions & volunteer opportunities, and then a chance to socialize!
Interested in helping out? We’re always looking for greeters to help welcome folks to the space.
Thanks and hope to see you there!
Event Details:
This is a free event; all are welcome to attend.
All ages event
Bus tickets available at the door.
This event is taking place within Lkwungen Territory.
Accessibility:
fernwood community centre (1240 gladstone):
• dinner is located in the gym on the lower floor. Accessible by ramp from the main entrance or around the back of the building by the outside doors.
• wheelchair accessible space.
• two single-stall, wheelchair accessible gender-inclusive bathrooms available, one on the lower level and one on the upper.
• gymnasium is lit by both overhead lights and skylights.
— how to get to there: —
fernwood community centre, 1240 gladstone ave:
bc transit routes #22 [fernwood ave], #2, #27, #28 [pandora ave], #24, #25 [cook st], #10 [bay street]
Contact:
If you have any questions about the event, don’t hesitate to contact Eric@RetailAction.ca
————————————-
This event takes place within the traditional territory of the Lkwungen peoples, today represented by the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The Retail Action Network organizes within Lkwungen, W̱SÁNEĆ, and T’Sou-ke Territory.​ The displacement of Indigenous people from here and around the world, through colonialism, has historically been the backbone of capitalism and a vehicle for the extraction of resources. Working class settlers through history, displaced from their own communities, have been pawns to enforce the violence of colonialism. This process continues today. Colonialism has important and real implications for why and how we organize workers. Centuries of resistance to capitalism and colonialism have shaped today’s labour movement; we continue to learn and take direction from Indigenous led anti-colonial movements. We extend our appreciation to the Lkwungen, W̱SÁNEĆ, and T’Sou-ke peoples for the opportunity to live, work, organize, and celebrate together on this territory.

What Your Boss Doesn't Want You To Know
2019-04-17 12:00 - 14:15 | David Strong Building C130, UVic
Have you experienced harassment or discrimination in the workplace? Are you being mistreated by your employer? Are you missing wages? Have you been fired without cause? Do you know your rights at work?
Those of you who are working, have worked, or may work in the retail, hospitality, or food service industries are invited to join us for a meal as we learn about workplace rights in BC! Worker’s rights advocates will be joining in the discussion to answer questions and provide advice surrounding your issues at work.
Space is limited, so please pre-register by following this link:
https://goo.gl/forms/nhqLvgnZyEZVPCJp1
This event is hosted by the Retail Action Network UVic Club, part of a network of volunteers, workers, and labour activists fighting for workplace justice, increased wages, workplaces free from harassment and discrimination, and better working conditions overall for retail, hospitality and food-service workers.
Join us in the fight for workplace justice!
Details:
This is a free event; all are welcome to attend.
All ages event
Bus tickets available at the door.
Food will be provided, with vegetarian and gluten-free options.
This event is taking place within Lkwungen Territory.
Accessibility Information:
This room is at ground level, and, while it is a tiered lecture hall, there are accessible seats in the first row.
There is a single stall accessible and gender inclusive washroom in the building just across the hall.
This is a scent-free event.
To find out more information email heidi@workersolidarity.ca

Art as Resistance!
2019-03-29 13:30 - 16:00 | SUB Room B028 University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
It’s time for revolution and creativity!
Join the Retail Action Network UVic Local on March 29th in the SUB room B028 for a gathering of art, discussion, and solidarity. We will be making buttons and have art supplies available for a mixed media fight against the power. Any creations will be scanned to produce a mini RAN summer zine!! Come hang with us.
The RAN UVic Local organizes on the territories of the Coast Salish peoples, represented today by the Lekwungen nation.
This is a scent-free event.
Wheelchair and elevator access from the main floor to the basement will be operational and is located near the Cinecenta entrance. Tables for people with mobility aids are available.
If you need more information regarding accessibility, please contact us via email at riley@workersolidarity.ca

UVic Local 1st General Membership Meeting
2019-03-05 18:00 - 20:00 | SUB B025
Have you experienced harassment or discrimination in the workplace? Are you being mistreated by your employer? Are you missing wages? Have you been fired without cause? Do you know your rights at work? Do you want to get involved in the fight for workplace justice?
The Retail Action Network UVic Local is part of a network of volunteers, workers, and labour activists fighting for workplace justice, increased wages, workplaces free from harassment and discrimination, and better working conditions overall for retail, hospitality and food-service workers.
The first meeting of the RAN UVic Local will be a casual social and discussion-based gathering where students at the university can come together and discuss their experiences in the retail, hospitality, and food service sectors, and ways students in positions across different workplaces can provide support for one another and stand in solidarity. If you are interested in getting involved, or just curious to know more, please join us!
The RAN UVic local organizes on the territories of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, today represented by the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ Nations.
This is a scent-free event
Wheelchair and elevator access from the main floor to the basement will be operational and is located near the Cinecenta entrance. Tables for people with mobility aids are available.
Gluten Free and Vegan snacks will be available. Please contact us if there are any other dietary restrictions we can accommodate!
If you need more information regarding accessibility, please contact us via email at riley@workersolidarity.ca

Youth Night at GTHS with RAN Workshop
2019-03-04 18:00 - 20:00 | GT Hiring Solutions WorkBC Centre 201-1483 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3K4
Are you owed wages or tips?
Have you been fired without cause?
Feeling exploited?
Join us on March 4th to learn more about the supports and advocacy that is available to you through the Retail Action Network.
You will have an opportunity to ask questions, share stories, and learn about the amazing work of the Retail Action Network.

Worker's Wednesday Meeting & Social
2019-02-27 17:30 - 20:00 | Fernwood NRG, 1240 Gladstone Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 1G6, Canada
1240 Gladstone Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 1G6, Canada
Description:Come join us for our general meeting & social, hosted by the Retail Action Network!
If you have never been to a Worker’s Wednesday meeting before, try to arrive early to get introduced over dinner, and to learn a bit about the Retail Action Network, and how you can get involved!
5:30pm-6:15pm – Community Dinner
Join us for a meal cooked by the Fernwood NRG. There are vegetarian and meat options available and the meal is made from 90% reclaimed foods. RAN will be covering the cost of this by-donation meal for all Worker’s Wednesday attendees.
6:30pm-8:00pm – General Meeting & Social
Working groups and committees report back on what they have been up to in the fight for workplace justice this month, we will talk about upcoming RAN actions & volunteer opportunities, and then a chance to socialize!
Interested in helping out? We’re always looking for greeters to help welcome folks to the space.
Thanks and hope to see you there!
Event Details:
This is a free event; all are welcome to attend.
All ages event
Bus tickets available at the door.
This event is taking place within Lkwungen Territory.
Accessibility:
fernwood community centre (1240 gladstone):
• dinner is located in the gym on the lower floor. Accessible by ramp from the main entrance or around the back of the building by the outside doors.
• wheelchair accessible space.
• two single-stall, wheelchair accessible gender-inclusive bathrooms available, one on the lower level and one on the upper.
• gymnasium is lit by both overhead lights and skylights.
— how to get to there: —
fernwood community centre, 1240 gladstone ave:
bc transit routes #22 [fernwood ave], #2, #27, #28 [pandora ave], #24, #25 [cook st], #10 [bay street]
Contact:
If you have any questions about the event, don’t hesitate to contact Heidi@RetailAction.ca
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This event takes place within the traditional territory of the Lkwungen peoples, today represented by the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. The Retail Action Network organizes within Lkwungen, W̱SÁNEĆ, and T’Sou-ke Territory.​ The displacement of Indigenous people from here and around the world, through colonialism, has historically been the backbone of capitalism and a vehicle for the extraction of resources. Working class settlers through history, displaced from their own communities, have been pawns to enforce the violence of colonialism. This process continues today. Colonialism has important and real implications for why and how we organize workers. Centuries of resistance to capitalism and colonialism have shaped today’s labour movement; we continue to learn and take direction from Indigenous led anti-colonial movements. We extend our appreciation to the Lkwungen, W̱SÁNEĆ, and T’Sou-ke peoples for the opportunity to live, work, organize, and celebrate together on this territory.

Welcome Celebration for immigrants & refugees /Journée d'accueil
2019-02-16 10:00 - 16:00 | 637 Head St, Victoria, BC V9A 5S9, Canada
RAN is tabling at the Welcome Day Celebration for Immigrants and Refugees this Saturday, Feb. 16 from 10am-4pm at Victor Brodeur School in Esquimalt.
We are looking for people to help us share informational materials about workplace rights and talk to people about what we do at RAN.
All RAN volunteers will be treated to a coffee or tea and a snack during their shift.
Here is the FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/365364994048890/
Here is a video clip about the event last year: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pw_mSj9M4bjsB7O6H0IFB-g1TINaXBog/view?usp=sharing
It looks like it will be a really great day! Please email volunteer@workersolidarity.ca if you are able to help table at any point during the day. It would be great to see you there!
